Russ recently revealed how not clearing a sample for his hit song “Losin Control” in 2015 cost him $850,000.
Russ Explains $850,000 Mistake
On Monday (June 2), was a guest on the And The Writer Is…podcast, where he talked about business, burnout, self-belief and more. During the sit-down, Russ explained how he had to pay nearly $1 million to settle a sample dispute over the eight-times platinum track “Losin Control.”
“I got f**ked with that song,” Russ says around the 25:50 timestamp of the podcast below. “Because I forgot to clear the sample until after it was like four times platinum. I probably could have cleared it in 2015 when I made it. But I didn’t know anyone in 2015. I’m just a kid in a basement. But I probably could have cleared it back then for $5,000.”
“The song comes out, goes on the album, I forget about it to the point where I’m like, ‘I don’t even remember if I sampled that,'” he continues. “And then I was like, Oh f**k, I did…So the sample holder came…So I had to cut a check for like $850,000. It was an expensive f**k up.”
Russ says the loss didn’t hurt as badly because he used his advance to pay off the legal matter.
“So, I didn’t even feel like I lost the money,” he says.
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Russ Preps New Album
Russ is currently prepping his new album W!ld, which is slated to drop on June 27. The new album includes the singles “Pent Up in a Penthouse,” “Move” and “April 7.” In promotion of the LP, Russ will be heading out on the Into the W!ild Tour 2025, with special guests Big Sean and Sabrina Claudio.
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Check out Russ on the And The Writer Is… podcast below.
